Salon owner sets talented gymnast on the road to greater things!

A THAME business owner, moved by the plight of a budding young, Thame gymnast, has made the very first donation in a sponsorship plea, to help the young Gold medalist progress to her full potential internationally.

Erica Grace, who owns the hair salon, Cutting Rooms, in Buttermarket, Thame, was moved by the plight of Aysha Hutter, an elite acrobatic gymnast who trains with the Oxford School of Gymnasts, based at Lord William’s Lower School in Thame, after learning of fund-raising appeal via facebook.

Aysha told Thame.Net: “My love of acrobatic gymnastics began back when I was eight years-old. I am now 17 and train for five or six days a week, attending national and international competitions, still wholly committed to what I do!

“My partners, Abi and Samara, and I have had an amazing year filled to the brim with successes and emotions! We won Gold in January at Heathrow, Gold in February at Bristol and Gold in March at ‘Prelims’ in Southampton which qualified us for the National Event in Stoke-On-Trent in June.

“At the Nationals we became National Champions in Grade 6 in the Women’s Groups with another Gold. Our last competition before the summer was in Turin, Italy at the beginning of July. We not only won a Gold medal there but we also scored the highest score of the whole competition!

Aysha (left) with Erica Grace outside The Cutting Rooms salon, Thame

“This past year has been a dream for me and next year is expected to be even more challenging and exciting! I will be competing in a new partnership with Elspeth and Samara this coming year. We will be in the FIG 12-18 age group with even more demanding routines than last year. We hope to compete in at least one, potentially two, International competitions during the year, plus the British Championships in Liverpool in July. There will also be various UK-based competitions, including an International in Bristol.

“Last year my family worked incredibly hard making and selling craft items, attending car boot sales, organising a raffle and an on-line fundraising site that friends and family donated to. This year I would really love to get enough sponsorship to make it so that they can have a bit of a rest!

“I would like to thank Erica at Cutting Rooms for supporting me and donating £200 to my acrobatic fund – my first donation of the year – a great way to start! Thank you Cutting Rooms!”

“Each International competition costs around £700. The first competition is potentially the Valentine Acro Cup in The Netherlands in the middle of February. Competition leotards are upwards of £300. As you can see, Acrobatic gymnastics is incredibly rewarding yet also very expensive. It isn’t just a sport, it is a lifestyle which requires the whole family to be committed and make sacrifices.

“If anyone would like to sponsor myself or another gymnast I would love to hear from you! You can make contact via email: hummingbird@asia.com”

Or visit Aysha’s Gofundme page: https://www.gofundme.com/hz2fkk